Methodology for establishing minimum energy performance requirements in buildings based on cost optimal levels - officially published by the European Commission

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Anca Bieru

Director International Relations & Public Affairs

1440 Last modified by the author on 18/04/2012 - 18:37

The idea of the cost-optimal methodology was introduced during the negotiation of the EPBD Recast due to the dispute between European Council (Member States), the EU Commission and the EU Parliament. Member States feared that the requirements set up in the Directive would be too strict and have pushed through a formulation that no more than cost-optimal levels should be required.


Therefore, in accordance with Article 5 of, and Annexes I and III of the Directive 2010/31/EU (EPBD recast),  the European Commission  was supposed to release a  Regulation that  establishes a comparative methodology framework to be used by Member States for calculating cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for new and existing buildings and building elements.


The Regulation was published in the Official European Journal at the end of March 2012 and has now officially entered into force.


The methodology framework specifies rules for comparing energy efficiency measures, measures incorporating renewable energy sources and packages and variants of such measures, based on the primary energy performance and the cost attributed to their implementation. It also lays down how to apply these rules to selected reference buildings with the aim of identifying cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements


Member States have to set up their minimum energy performance requirements for buildings and building elements that comply with the cost-optimal methodology:



  •  by 9 January 2013 to buildings occupied by public authorities

  •  from 9 July 2013 to other buildings


However by 30th of June 2012, Member States have to report to the Commission all input data and assumptions used for the calculations and the results of those calculations. The report shall include the primary energy conversion factors applied, the results of the calculations at macroeconomic and financial level, the sensitivity analysis and the assumed energy and carbon price developments.


The official version of the Regulation can be downloaded here.

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